Putin Is Finding War Is Hell, and Expensive
The Hill,
by
James Stavridis
Original Article
Posted By: Moritz55,
3/15/2022 11:36:15 PM
One question I get repeatedly these days: What is wrong with the Russian military? Many in the West had a mistaken belief that the Russian war machine was a rough match for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, and they are surprised at how much trouble the massive force is having subduing a much smaller and less-equipped neighbor, Ukraine. During my time as NATO’s military commander, I spent time with the Russian military and the chief of its general staff at the time, General Nikolai Makarov. A congenial figure, Makarov told me about Russian efforts to modernize his forces, starting with professionalizing them and weaning the nation from a brutal
Reply 1 - Posted by:
Omen55 3/16/2022 12:21:21 AM (No. 1101255)
The Russian military hasn't engage in this type of war since WWII & it's corrupt as you can bribe your way to promotions.
The KIA count is demoralizing & the troops don't want to be there so the longer it goes the greater the pressure on Putin.
So just put the Migs near the border & tell the Ukrainians that we don't expect them to sneak across & steal them while the guards are on their long break. Because that would get a stern letter.
6 people like this.
Reply 2 - Posted by:
john56 3/16/2022 12:31:36 AM (No. 1101262)
There once was an interview about one of the Mujadaheen/Taliban leaders asked about the difference in fighting the Russians and the Americans.
With the Russians, he said, once you kill the leader, they have no idea how to lead.
Kill the American General, and the Colonel takes over. Kill the Colonel and the Lutenant take charge. Kill him and the Sergeant leads. Kill him and the enlisted keep fighting. They just don't quit.
14 people like this.
Reply 3 - Posted by:
stablemoney 3/16/2022 12:33:05 AM (No. 1101263)
We are finding war is expensive as well.
11 people like this.
Reply 4 - Posted by:
chumley 3/16/2022 12:51:34 AM (No. 1101267)
I'm wondering about all the decades after WW2 that we had massive amounts of people and weapons all over Europe to repel a Russian invasion. And as it turns out they can't even effectively take one of their old bloc countries. We sure wasted a lot of money, blood sweat and tears holding off a 3rd world banana republic.
8 people like this.
Reply 5 - Posted by:
GoodDeal 3/16/2022 1:01:20 AM (No. 1101272)
No worries because Joe's ban on Russian oil goes into effect in 45 days, however in that new omnibus spending bill the repukeicans passed there are waivers available so Joe can make sure his pal Vlad has enough cash coming in to get it done.
4 people like this.
Reply 6 - Posted by:
Maggie2u 3/16/2022 2:07:27 AM (No. 1101280)
Poster. #2, when I was in high school, back in the 60's, my history teacher said the very same thing about American soldiers during WW2. He said the soldiers of European armies how no idea of what to do when their commanding officers were killed.
7 people like this.
Reply 7 - Posted by:
Geoman 3/16/2022 2:35:33 AM (No. 1101298)
While the author appears qualified to make his learned assessments, we mustn't underplay the insidious degradation of our own military under Obama and Biden. Wokeness is incompatible with war fighting. Not even the great Sun Tzu could envision wokeness in a nation's military. Biden is destroying our military during a time when we have no major combats units engaged. Just imagine how bad his decisions would be if bullets and bombs started flying our way and how he would negatively affect our war fighting capability, regardless of the capability of our foe.
13 people like this.
Reply 8 - Posted by:
MickTurn 3/16/2022 5:38:28 AM (No. 1101334)
A house of cards...drop a tactical nuke on the main body of the force, and Putin's house, game over!
2 people like this.
Reply 9 - Posted by:
Michaelus 3/16/2022 6:00:33 AM (No. 1101351)
None of these guys seem to consider the possibility that Putin does not want to conquer Ukraine. The real fighting is against well entrenched troops in the east and the irregular militias like the Azov Battalion.
This gem does sneak out though:"It took the U.S. First Marine Division — the most elite combat troops in the world — nearly two months to conquer Fallujah, an Iraqi city about a tenth the size of Kyiv". And the Iraqi's did not have endless supplies of Stingers and Javelins like the Ukrainians do.
2 people like this.
Reply 10 - Posted by:
Ashley Brenton 3/16/2022 6:21:27 AM (No. 1101371)
I keep thinking of a movie titled "The Russia House", where Roy Scheider playing a CIA agent learns from a Soviet source that in fact, their military technologies and capabilities are way overhyped.
He responds, "There's a lot of people in the West who don't want to hear this."
Problem is, in this instance nobody in the Russian government wanted to tell Putin the Russian army might do a passable job repelling an invasion, but a lousy job executing one.
2 people like this.
Reply 11 - Posted by:
3XALADY 3/16/2022 6:37:12 AM (No. 1101382)
Within the first couple of days of fighting, a writer said Putin was first sending out 'cannon fodder' for soldiers and saving his elite for later when things got serious. From what I'm hearing, he sent his second line equipment (tanks, etc.) too. Are things not working out so well, or is there method to Putin's madness? I'm trying to avoid watching or hearing about the war because I see the US being pulled right into the big middle of it.
3 people like this.
Reply 12 - Posted by:
F15 Gork 3/16/2022 6:53:37 AM (No. 1101394)
Apparently those May Day parades in Moscow looked good but were as hollow as Biden’s brain cavity.
10 people like this.
Reply 13 - Posted by:
jinx 3/16/2022 8:03:18 AM (No. 1101435)
Putin totally misread the President of Ukraine. Putin thought that a former comedian/DWTR's winner would roll over not fight back. He really misjudged him.
5 people like this.
Reply 14 - Posted by:
lakerman1 3/16/2022 8:35:07 AM (No. 1101472)
#4, I spent 1958 to 1960 assigned to Germany - first to Hahn Air Base, then to Wiesbaden Air Base - it was the best assignment available in the USAF. Everything was cheap. I bought a 1950 Mercedes sedan for 300 dollars. Gasoline was 10 cents a gallon on base. Food was inexpensive out on the economy. Five dollars would be enough for a rowdy weekend off base. On base, things were dirt cheap. And I enmjoyed myself with an income of 100 dollars a month!
And we had entertainment - base football teams, where I played some football, nice travel schedule, Games against teams from England and France, as well as Germany., Exchange rates - one American dollar yielded nearly 5 marks. 50 pfennigs (1/2 a mark) bought a beer.
I have always been convinced that we had all those bases in Germany because of the above.
2 people like this.
Reply 15 - Posted by:
bigfatslob 3/16/2022 10:39:42 AM (No. 1101626)
#2 very true it was said the Germans didn't train but one leader the lower ranks wouldn't take charge not so with American soldiers. We could devastate the Russian army in a situation like this with Marines and Special Forces. I fear the 'white rage' and non-vaccinate are being purged by stupid CRT generals so now I might doubt my thoughts. It is said if a bear attacks a porcupine bet on the porcupine.
0 people like this.
Reply 16 - Posted by:
oldretiredDAT 3/16/2022 11:25:08 AM (No. 1101672)
The Russian Army is fed better, better armed than the Russian Army of WW2. The leadership is better educated. But they haven't changed, they tend to win because they just have so much to throw away. Stalin is often quoted as having said "Quantity has a Quality of its own". When the leadership really doesn't care about causalities, this is what happens, men and equipment wasted. They may win, but what will they do with the soldiers who saw of this waste, survived, and then go back home? It seems they tend to talk more today than 50 years ago.
I am retired Army, did almost 8 years in Germany in Armour. I thought then and still do that the Russian military is overrated, without lives and equipment to just throw away they could not take a brothel at 5AM.
0 people like this.
Reply 17 - Posted by:
Kumoan 3/16/2022 12:43:56 PM (No. 1101764)
My fear for the militaries of the west is that Woke tools will rise to the top and, through a combination of cowardice, incompetence and stupidity will, while in charge of the still functioning parts of our armed forces, throw away our cherished war fighters as Wokeness supersedes military competence and bravery.
I am not in favor of any deployment into a hot zone until the last demorat is purged from the ranks.
1 person likes this.
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